Shelf Review: Burton’s Snack Bites

Burton’s Foods has just launched snack varieties of three of its most popular biscuit lines: Maryland Cookies, Jammie Dodgers and Cadbury Fingers.

These are now available in pouch packs under the Snack Bites name, targeting the fast-growing on-the-go snacking market. 54% of snacks are now being consumed outside of home, and two thirds of those are purchased on the go. The market is currently worth £4.4bn.

Snack Bites come in foil pouches, designed to be convenient and stand out on shelf. 

Graphics 8/10

The packaging includes the trademark logos and images of the traditional brands on which these bite-sized versions are based. The packs are brightly coloured and use the products’ familiar branding. The images of the products on the packs are also instantly recognisable and look modern and fresh.

The product information on the reverse is clear, although one minor quibble is that the calorie information on the front is not. These are 125g packs and we are told that each 25g serving (for example, of Maryland Cookies) is 126 calories. Are we meant to empty the pack and divide it by five?

Function  5/10

The packs come in a resealable, shareable format. The packs are easy to tear open, but they’re not easy to tear open neatly along the dotted line.  A ‘peel and reseal’ strip is provided but the adhesive on this is far too weak. This did not hold on either of the two packs we tested and would certainly come apart in a schoolbag or glove compartment.  A better re-seal mechanism (such as a zip-lock) would increase functionality significantly (though given the moreishness of the products, we question the frequency with which the re-seal function will be used!).

While the pack size makes the product more portable and easy to pick up – whether in a supermarket, filling station or convenience store – we question whether it protects the product sufficiently. In both varieties we tested, the biscuits jostle against each other and become abraded, giving the Cadbury Fingers a cloudy look (very unlike the pack shots) and creating crumbs in the Maryland Cookies variety.

On-shelf 8/10

Given that this product will primarily compete with similarly bagged snack products (crisps and confectionery), its familiar packaging format is very appropriate. It stands out well on shelves, and the bold colours and large lettering give immediate presence. A particularly effective feature is a gusset which enables the pack to stand upright, which is good on shelf and in use. 

Overall 7/10

Burton should be congratulated on this new launch. The concept is well thought out and will appeal to today’s grazing consumer.

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